His fans include Dizzee Rascal, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mike Skinner. He has performed for Prince Charles; Will Smith would like him to do a turn at his Christmas party. Drop his name, and you're suddenly welcome in the hip set. Not bad for a teenager from Bradford who admits he's a bit of a blagger.

Steven Frayne, also known as Dynamo, is at the forefront of the 'urban magic' scene that has earnt him the moniker of 'the hip-hop magician'. Prince Charles saw his act at a house party at Clarence House and he amazed Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow backstage at this summer's Coldplay gigs. He has also performed for rapper Snoop Dogg and was the official magician at the Mobo (Music of Black Origin) awards.

Dynamo will approach sceptical kids in a backstreet and appear to bite in half a 50p piece; make playing cards float towards him from feet away; and fit bottle tops inside bottles.

The obvious comparisons are with American illusionist David Blaine - except that some say he's even better. A new TV series will aim to prove that.

Dynamo, 19, grew up on Bradford's notorious Delph Hill Estate, one of the most violent and deprived estates in the north of England. The eldest of four children, with a father in and out of prison, Dynamo began performing magic when his grandfather gave him a book of card tricks. He then took inspiration from street performers, hustlers and pickpockets.

'I used magic as a way to get out of trouble,' he says. 'I'd go to the shop and, on the way, other kids would try to steal my money. I was never very big or strong, so to stop them I'd perform some tricks. I've performed magic to break up fights: I've amazed people that much.'

In his early teens, Dynamo discovered that he had Crohn's disease, a chronic stomach illness which explains why he is so slight. He has regular vitamin injections and still takes four pills a day - he was once on 20. Three years ago, while on the verge of signing a deal with a major television channel, Dynamo suffered a stomach abscess and was in hospital for six months.

Dynamo says he doesn't care who he performs for - it's about 'entertaining people'. He has filmed and edited his own DVD, which will be available later this year through his website (www.dynamoworld.com). 'Magic is a great leveller. Whether I'm performing for rich and famous people or some kids in the street, the reactions are the same. That's what I love about it.

'I'm just a good blagger,' he adds. 'I'm a bit cheeky. I ended up getting my manager, Dan, after I talked my way into an event. I was performing for this guy and he asked me if I was booked for the party. I said yes, I was, I was booked by the organiser of the event. Dan was like "Er, but that's me". Anyway, even though he caught me out, he was impressed by what he saw and it all went from there.'

Dynamo has come a long way in those three years, but he's still sleeping on his friend's sofa in east London ('I did buy the sofa'). For the moment, home is a bedroom at his grandmother's house in Bradford, but many predict that super-stardom is just around the corner.

Elevated on a platform above a high-voltage Tesla coil and dressed in a 9kg (20lb) chain-mail suit, the American illusionist and endurance artist, David Blaine, performs his latest stunt named 'Electrified'